


Can Not You Have Both?

by Adventures_in_Writing



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: M/M, Multi, Polyamory, dork shipping, nork shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-03-05 02:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3102857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adventures_in_Writing/pseuds/Adventures_in_Writing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delta had been thinking about this for a long time. He knew that York and he shared something special but he had learned that York needed more.</p>
<p>The A.I sighed. “I know you had feelings for Carolina and I know you have found it hard to let go but if you give someone a chance, I am certain they will be everything you could want in a partner.”</p>
<p>"Who are you talking about, D?" York asked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Can not you have both?

**Author's Note:**

> I received a prompt for something North/York...but it kind of just turned into this. I don’t know how it happened.

York had never really questioned his relationship with Delta. At first it had taken some time to get used to, but now he couldn’t imagine life without the little green AI. Considering how some of the other freelancers got along with their AI’s, York was glad to say that he actually enjoyed having Delta around. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point along the way, York had stopped thinking about him as an implanted computer program. Delta was his friend, his partner in crime, someone who would be there for him when he needed.   
  
Delta had always been there, so when the AI had suggested that York pull him for a couple of nights to get some proper rest and human interaction, York had immediately shot down the idea.  
  
"York, would not it be better if I were not around during times of intimacy?"  
  
York choked on his drink. “Wh-what?” He spluttered.   
  
Why was Delta bringing up intimacy now?   
  
York had grown used to having the A.I around all the time; Delta’s questions about what he was doing or why he was making those sounds no longer embarrassed him like they used to. Delta had seen everything York has to offer and then some. Delta had long since learned to save any questions he had for _after_ York had finished.   
  
Not that he had many questions about it any more. In fact, if Delta had to put a name to the feeling he had whenever York was gasping with pleasure he would have to call it envy.  
  
Delta could never feel like that. _He_ could never make York feel like that.  
  
Delta was both jealous and envious and he was unable to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why.  
  
"I understand that it can be difficult to perform when it feels like you are being watched."  
  
York shook his head. “I’m not going to be sleeping with anyone, D.”  
  
"York, if you—"  
  
"I’ve told you before, D, you’re all I need."  
  
Delta decided he wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining himself and tried a different tactic.  
  
"York, I am incapable of romantic feelings and I obviously am unable to give you the physical contact that you need. I am not saying that you are not special to me. Believe me when I say that there is no one else I would rather be paired with. I can keep you company when there is no one else and I can listen to your concerns and deal with your stupidity. I can be with you inside your mind but sometimes that is not enough and that is all right. I understand that I cannot fulfill all of your needs and for some reason you hold yourself back. Why is that, York? Humans need a certain level of intimacy. Presently, you are not getting any."  
  
"Thanks for the reminder, D," York joked.  
  
"That concerns me, York. I care about you and I feel responsible because you are missing out on things you need."  
  
"It’s all right, D. I’m happy being with you," York offered the little green hologram a smile.  
  
"I am also happy we are together, but you should not ignore the fact that I cannot fulfill you in every way. There is someone that can give you the love you need in ways that I cannot."  
  
"D, if you’re talking about sex, it’s fine. I can survive on my own."   
  
"That is not specifically what I was referring to, but I suppose there is also that. Imagination is very different to the actual act."   
  
"Then what _do_ you mean, D? Stop dancing around the point. That’s not like you.”  
  
For the first time in his life, Delta was having issues explaining himself to York.   
  
"I am referring to someone who can hold you. Someone who you can touch. Someone who can care for you when you are injured. Someone who can feel the things you do."   
  
Delta had been thinking about this for a long time. He knew that York and he shared something special but he had learned that York needed more.  
  
The A.I sighed. “I know you had feelings for Carolina and I know you have found it hard to let go but if you give someone a chance, I am certain they will be everything you could want in a partner.”  
  
"Who are you talking about, D?" York asked.  
  
The AI hesitated. “Agent North.”  
  
York didn’t know what to say. Was Delta seriously suggesting he start something with North?   
  
"I cannot love you in the ways that you need, York. I am more like a very close friend rather than a lover. I do not believe that word can ever be applied to me, no matter how much I care for you." Delta paused. "Agent North, however, is capable of everything I am not."   
  
York was always surprised at how straight-forward Delta could be when talking about ‘feelings’. Anyone else would be stumbling over words, or shrinking away due to self-consciousness.   
"D, I’m not going to leave you for North just because we can’t sleep together."   
  
"That is not what I was attempting to propose. I apologise for not being clear.” He paused, trying to think of how to phrase his next sentence. “Could not you have both myself _and_ Agent North?”  
  
"North has Theta," York tried reasoning. He didn’t even know if North would be up for something like that. Sure, he was a nice guy, but he spent a lot of time with Tex whenever she was around. Maybe they already had a thing going?  
  
"They will have the same problem we do. I cannot see how being with York would strain what relationship we have, and what relationship North has with Theta."  
  
York chuckled. “I never would have thought you would go for polyamory.”  
  
"I merely used logic and reasoning to come to the best solution for all parties involved."  
  
"And how do you feel about sharing me, D?"  
  
He flickered as he thought about it. “As I said, I reasoned.”  
  
"Delta…" York chided. "Be honest and don’t hide behind your logic."  
  
"…if…it is Agent North, I do not mind."


	2. Can I Stay With You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can’t sleep again, North?” a familiar voice asked.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Delta had brought up North and although he tried his best not to, York had been thinking about it.   
  
The little green A.I. did have a point. York was someone who liked romance. He liked going out on dates or having a quiet dinner together. He enjoyed snuggles on the lounge while he watched TV and he liked having a warm body next to him while he was sleeping (and then some). Would it be so terrible if he went to North for those things? Like Delta had said, he wasn’t able to do those things for York.  
  
York liked North. He was a nice guy who had endless patience and made you feel better just by being there. They'd even had a few deep conversations when they first got their A.I's. No one else was really around that he could talk to about it and on top of that, North understood what York was trying to say about them. The more he thought about it, the more it started to make sense. North was a logical choice.  
  
Delta had been a bad influence.   
  
Romance wasn't something you could just force. York couldn't just decide "yep, going to go after North." Call him old fashioned if you will. Whilst he liked North as a friend, was there a capacity for something greater? Did there need to be something greater? York knew himself well enough to know that he would like there to be.  
  
It was yet another sleepless night for North. Theta had been excited or nervous about something and as a result, North couldn’t sleep. Like always, he walked the halls waiting for Theta to grow tired and power down for the night, not that North ever had his mind to himself anymore. He could always tell Theta was awake and alert. It took some getting used to.  
  
“Can’t sleep again, North?” a familiar voice asked.  
  
“York? What are you doing up?”  
  
He gave a half shrug. “Same reason as you.”  
  
“Ah. Do you think we’ll ever get used to it?”  
  
York chuckled. “I don’t think you ever can.”  
  
York was only telling a half truth. He had been with Delta so long that his presence in his mind, even at quiet times, was welcome. Delta understood that he made it difficult for York to sleep when he was doing too much, so instead he let himself play through memories and make up scenarios to help York relax and drift off to sleep. It was an activity that Delta actually liked doing, almost as much as running probabilities or figuring out puzzles. Delta rarely kept York awake nowadays: York was keeping himself awake.  
  
“It’s getting late, so you probably should try and get some rest though,” North said.  
  
York could feel Delta stir in the back of his mind, giving him an idea and the probability of it working. York rather liked the odds and he found himself going along with the idea.  
  
“Hey, North? Can I stay with you? Maybe Delta and Theta can keep each other company while we sleep? Delta knows some stories. Theta might like that.”  
  
For some reason, North smiled.   
“Sure. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea actually.”  
  
As they returned to North’s room, York wondered why North had so easily accepted. When he woke up the next morning curled up against North’s side, he didn’t question it. It felt nice to have a warm body next to his and he settled down for a little while longer.  
  
York didn’t know it, but North was thinking the same thing. 

 


	3. Can They Come Over?

York had firmly told himself it was a one-time thing only; that it was a lapse in judgement because Delta had this annoying little habit of making solid arguments. He absolutely could not make a habit of walking the halls hoping that he might bump into the gentler of the Dakota twins. Things didn’t seem to have changed at all between the two freelancers. They still had their banter between them on the field and exchanged greetings as they passed in the halls. Neither brought up that night they spent in each other’s company and York was telling himself that he was happy enough to leave it at that.  
  
Delta was everything he needed, even if it had been nice hearing a heart beat next to him and having a warm body to snuggle up against.  
  
Little did York know that North was having a hard time simply leaving it in the past.  
  


~~~~~  
  


The funny thing about York, North had decided, was that although he came across as easy going and carefree, he was difficult to read. He always brushed things off with a laugh or a joke, making it very easy to ignore the side of him that he worked hard to keep hidden.  
  
North had always thought that out of everyone, he knew York the best. They had their late night chats when they couldn’t sleep and they’d share their thoughts and concerns with one another. North didn’t have that with anyone else and he was sure that York didn’t either. It wasn’t until North started paying particularly close attention to York that he noted that their resident lock expert seemed to share a connection with his AI that anyone else would be downright jealous of. It was almost as though York treated Delta as more than just a computer chip in his head and that Delta treated York as more than just his operator. It was interesting, seeing the difference in how York interacted with the program compared to anyone else. They joked and teased each other with witty banter, Delta was brutally honest with York at times and York would often pull Delta up on his excessively logical nature. It seemed more like a partnership between friends rather than a person and a tool used for battle. That wasn’t to say that North thought of Theta as just a piece of complex computer programming. He cared for the AI, truly he did, but with York and Delta there was something more.  
  
And North found that he was, perhaps, just a little jealous of the small green AI. He wanted York to look at him the same way. He wanted to know the same York that Delta did.  
  
“North?” Theta asked one night. He was doing his best to keep quiet so that North could sleep, but the quietness of night made him nervous; it always had. “Can we ask York and Delta over again?”  
  
North sighed. “Sorry, kiddo.”  
  
“Oh...” the little AI sounded crestfallen, “You didn’t like having them stay over?”  
  
North shook his head. “It was fun, I just...I just don’t know if its a good idea.”  
  
“Why not? Delta kept me company and...” Theta paused. “And...and York can give you hugs. I can’t. It seemed like you really liked hugging York.”  
  
North could easily remember how warm York was beside him, how perfectly he seemed to fit into his embrace. He could recall the soft puff of air against his neck, the feel of York’s soft cotton pyjamas against his arms and his scent. North sighed again. He refused to admit it, but he ached for that kind of contact. He just wanted someone warm to hold. Although he craved it, dearly wished that York might make an offer like that again, it was becoming clear that he wouldn’t. Maybe it really had just been a case of insomnia. If York had needed the same sort of company, he would have offered again, wouldn’t he?  
  
North sighed heavily and rolled on to his side. “You’re right, Theta. I did.”  
  
“Then why not?”  
  
“Goodnight, Theta.”  
  
“...North?”  
  
Theta hovered at North’s shoulder for a few moments. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to be talking about York any more, Theta quietly took a seat on the edge of North’s pillow, facing him.  
  
“Night, North.”  
  
He tried to remain calm, to tell himself that there was nothing scary out there in the dark. He heard a noise; a creak in the walls that he knew was perfectly normal and jumped with fright. Theta cast a wary glance around the room, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Once he had convinced himself that everything was fine, he took out a Rubix cube that Delta had helped him make. He didn’t really play with puzzles very much, but Delta had said it would help him stay focused on something other than the dark and not be quite so scared.  
  
Theta looked to North before starting on the puzzle. He really wished York and Delta were here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey look. I managed to get another chapter out! Sorry for the long wait times between chapters...I'm terrible.


	4. Can You Look At Me The Same Way?

* * *

It had been on his mind for weeks. He had been waiting to bump into York in the hall late at night again, waiting to be asked if York could spend the night so that the two AI could keep each other company whilst they got some sleep. North had taken to walking the halls, even if Theta wasn’t restless and it was almost becoming a habit. He couldn’t help the dip of disappointment when he would return to his room alone.  
  
Theta had been observing the change in North quietly. He could easily place the feeling. The AI fragment felt it every night that North went to sleep or on the rare occasions that North asked him to log off. Loneliness was a difficult thing. Theta knew that although he was able to keep North company and to comfort him when he was feeling down, there was a hole that he couldn’t fill.  
  
“North?” Theta asked, late one night. “Can I ask Delta to teach me some more puzzles?”  
  
North rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “Theta, it’s one in the morning.”  
  
“But Delta is online.”  
  
It took everything he had to not leap out of bed. Of course the one time he isn’t wandering the halls, York is.

  
*****

  
The surprise was evident on York’s face when he turned to face North, the sudden hand at his shoulder startling him.  
  
North gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”  
  
“‘Sokay, North. Delta wasn’t watching my left.”  
  
“My apologies.”  
  
There was a semi awkward pause between the men. North wondered if York was walking the halls expecting to find him. York wondered if North had gotten out of bed just to see him.  
  
“I was hoping to find you,” York said with a shrug when the silence began to drag, “Wanted to see how Theta was going with that puzzle.”  
  
“Actually he was wondering--”  
  
“Delta,” York said, the tone in his voice a warning.  
  
“I was merely trying to assist.”  
  
“Actually, Theta was just asking if Delta could help him come up with a few new puzzles,” North paused. He hoped that his voice stayed steady and his face didn’t flush. “You could come back to my room whilst they work on it and get some shut eye?”  
  
Delta flickered out of sight and York took a step forward, nudging North with his shoulder.  
  
“I was hoping you’d ask.”

*****

  
North lay awake in his bed, York curled up on the opposite side. They’d both settled down a little while ago now, and North could hear the gentle chatter of the two AI discussing puzzles. Theta seemed pleased for the company and the thought made North smile, glad that his AI had someone else that he could call a friend.  
  
The thought gave rise to a question and, for some reason, North spoke it without thinking.  
  
“York? Are you and Delta more than friends?” He held his breath as soon as the words left his mouth. How could he just ask something like that completely out of the blue?!  
  
North was met with silence and he slowly breathed out, relief flooding over him.  
  
His blood almost ran cold when York rolled over. Thankfully it was dark and North couldn’t see York’s face right now. After what felt like an eternity, York answered.  
  
“Yeah. I guess we are. Delta knows me like no one else ever has,” York rolled on to his back. “And I don’t know what I’d do without him.”  
  
“Could...” North trailed off. Should he continue with this train of thought? Should he jeapordise whatever it is that he and York have? What York and Delta have?  
  
“Hmm?”  
  
“Could you look at me the same way?”  
  
“I think so. The same, but...” York dared to shift closer. “Different.”  
  
North swallowed. York was close enough that he could feel warmth radiating from him and he wanted nothing more than to pull York closer.  
  
"Is that okay?" York asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah," North replied, his mind a buzz, "It is."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably be the last one and I bet you all know where its headed...


	5. Can I Kiss You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this didn't go as I thought it would, but I think it ends on a cute note.
> 
> I am unsure if I will post a sixth chapter of a more intimate moment...

* * *

It was difficult to get Delta alone: York was nearly always within earshot and this was something that North wanted only Delta to hear.  
  
Though the AI would probably relay the conversation back to York later, it was the principal of privacy that he was striving for.  
  
He wanted to know Delta’s opinion. Were York’s affections one sided? Were they simply the result of spending too much time with someone who completely understood him?  
  
“Delta?”  
  
“Agent North,” the green AI addressed once he’d flickered into view before North. He spared a glance towards the direction York had gone before continuing, “How may I be of assistance?”  
  
“Your relationship with York...How would you describe it?”  
  
“We are partners.” Delta said it with such certainty that North couldn’t bring himself to question it. He knew how Delta meant it without asking. “I care for York deeply, Agent North, the same way you do.”  
  
“How did you —”  
  
“Hey, D, I need you up here.”  
  
Delta hesitated only briefly. “Please make him happy, North, in all the ways I cannot.”

  
*****

  
  
At first, North had been skeptical. How could a program _love_ someone? Although Delta argued that his caring algorithms were excellent, love was a different thing altogether. North, however, had been witness to things that he wouldn’t have believed otherwise: Delta asking how else he could help when York wasn’t feeling well, keeping a watchful eye out over him whilst he napped or slept, hearing how he often helped York fall asleep by playing through memories or coming up with stories in his mind.  
  
It spoke volumes of Delta’s caring algorithms and then some.  
  
It was almost like getting to know York all over again, discovering the side that he had kept hidden to everyone else but Delta.  
  
York was an amazingly complex individual with so much more to him than just a laid back personality. He was considerate and thoughtful, intelligent and funny and caring. He always gave something his all and despite his field records and Delta’s constant quips about assisting, York was very good with locks and puzzles. North supposed that's why Delta and York got along well in the first place: they were, surprisingly, very similar.  
  
It was through observing the pair that he realised and understood just what it was that Delta and York shared and just what it was that the other man needed from North.  
  
What it was that he needed from York.  
  
Could he have it though? Would he be able to give up whatever it was that he and Theta shared for York? Would he need to? Would Theta understand why and how York was special to him?  
  
“North?”  
  
“Yes, Theta?”  
  
He paused for a moment, unsure if North would want his opinion.  
  
“Theta? You can tell me what you’re thinking. It’s okay.”  
  
Noth was expecting questions about why he didn’t like Theta anymore, if it meant that he would need to log off every night because York was visiting.  
  
“York can make you happy, right? In a way that’s different to the sort of happy I make you?”  
  
North didn’t say anything.  
  
“It’s okay, North,” the little hologram flickered out of view for a minute to appear on the back of North’s folded hands. “Delta makes me happy too.

  
  
*****

  
  
They took things slowly, neither of the men having the courage to take that first step across the invisible barrier between them.  
  
It was at Delta’s gentle insistence that York stop dancing around the matter. York stood at North’s bedroom door, hand poised ready to knock.  
  
“Asking for a hug will not harm either of you.”  
  
“That isn’t the problem here, D.”  
  
“Just knock on the door, York.”  
  
  
He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this nervous. Actually, he could, but it wasn’t something he wanted to be focusing on right now. York knocked three times before taking a small step back to wait for the door to slide open. The confusion on North’s face only lasted a few moments before he smiled.  
  
“I can’t say I was expecting company.”  
  
“But you don’t mind it, right?”  
  
“Not at all.”  
  
They stood, somewhat awkwardly beside each other in the room. North was waiting for York to say something.  
  
“Delta!” Came Theta’s happy shout.  
  
“Hello, Theta. It is good to see you.”  
  
“I didn’t know you were coming over. Come and look at these new fire works I’ve been making.”  
  
The two AI made their way over to the desk, ignoring the two men for now.  
  
The silence that fell between them was comfortable this time and York dared to lean against North’s side. The gesture prompted North to glance down at the mop of soft brown hair by his shoulder.  
  
“Hey, York?”  
  
York turned to look up at North. “Yeah?”  
  
“Can I kiss you?”  
  
York smiled and took hold of North’s shirt, pulling him closer and bringing their lips together in what he had expected to be a heated kiss. York was surprised to find that North’s lips were soft and gentle. After a moment, North pulled away and York adjusted his hold on North’s shirt.  
  
“Don’t ever stop.”  
  
  



End file.
